I wanted to share this posting that I just read on a travelblog. It never would have occurred to me that muggers would be this bold. This posting is from an Australian traveler, posted yesterday: We were driving through the hectic streets of Catania at dusk in search of our hostel when I decided to pull over in a piazza and get my bearings on the map. Barely a minute had passed when I heard someone open the passenger door of the car, followed by a brief struggle taking place in my periphery. I turned to be confronted with the vision of a man in black wearing a black motorcycle helmet wrenching my friend's bag from their shocked grasp. Once my caveman brain registered what was happening, I took the useless action of yelling at this robber whilst pinned to my seat by the seatbelt. Within a few seconds it was over and I saw the figure dash to a running motorbike with a waiting rider and they took off into the night. My friend lost their passport, mobile phones, driving licence and other treasured possessions and I simply sat there in impotent rage and spiralling notions of disbelief.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32393 posts
Michael, Thanks for posting that. It's a good reminder of "worst case scenarios" when travelling in Italy.
Posted by
SAN ANTONIO
11 posts
well sicily is the birth place of the mafia--its the land of criminals! best not to go there
Posted by
point pleasant beach, nj, usa
646 posts
That is an unfortunate incident and I feel for the vicitm, however, that is no reason to avoid a wonderful place like Sicily. Barcelona is #1 on the list of pickpocket incidents, would you avoid going to this wonderful city? I wouldn't alter my travel plans because of these incidents. You can get mugged or pickpocketed in your own city. Be street-smart, wear a money belt and obviously when driving keep your doors locked.
Posted by
Cesena, Italy
791 posts
Fred- I gotta say that's just a silly statement. I'd be willing to bet that crime in San Antonio on a daily basis outweighs Catania or any other place in Sicily.
Posted by
La Crescenta, California, USA
361 posts
Gas pedal, step on the gas pedal.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
712 posts
Michael thanks for the posting! I think 99.9% of us read your title correctly, it being "Rental car muggings in Sicily - Keep your doors locked" and NOT "Rental car muggings in Sicily - Stay away!!!"
It was a good reminder to always take standard precautions while traveling. Locking the car door is pretty standard (I do it while driving the street of Pittsburgh) and not sure why the author didn't, but lesson learned and unfortunately for them, the hard way. As a personal sidenote, I think it's wrong to blame every crime occurance (however frequent or infrequent - I'm no expert) in Sicily on it being "the birth place of the mafia", as if every car-hijakcing, pick-pocketing, jay-walking, cat-stuck-in-a-tree incident is a direct result of the mafia's influence. I'm not denying that it has a reputation for crime and I'm not saying people should go all willy-nilly without any clue either, but it is what it is, it could happen anywhere. That's why you take safety measures ANYWHERE you go.
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
In fact the ordinary honest people of Sicily have been very heroic in their efforts to eliminate the mafia's influence. Some have even given their lives. Here's a recent article about those efforts, from Smithsonian magazine. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/In-Sicily-Defying-the-Mafia.html